Synopses & Reviews
This book offers a concise and original introduction to the whole of the theological discipline. Writing with a focus on Christianity, David Ford provides a trenchant and balanced discussion of the study of faith and religion. He describes the development of the field of theology, and explores such issues as knowledge, community, worship, salvation, God, prayer, and evil. Ford also weaves the idea of the quest for wisdom into the entire fabric of his discussion, and concludes with a look ahead to the theology of the next century.
Theology: A Very Short Introduction tackles the questions raised by and about religion in a thought-provoking and engaging manner.
About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
About the Author
David Ford is Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.
Table of Contents
Preface; Part I Describing the Field: 1 Introduction: Theology and the Religions in Transformation; 2 Theology and Religious Studies: How is the Field Shaped?; Part II Theological Explorations: 3 Thinking of God; 4 Living before God: Worship, Ethics and Politics; 5 Facing Evil; 6 Jesus Christ; 7 Imagining Salvation; Part III Skills, Disciplines and Methods: 8 Through the Past to the Present: History and Texts; 9 Experience, Reason and Wisdom; Part IV Conclusion: 10 Theology for the Third Millennium.